Conventional watercraft trailers allow a user the convenience and pleasure of transporting a boat, jet ski or the like to a variety of locations for the enjoyment of the watercraft they are trailering. The trailer allows the watercraft being trailered to be securely and safely towed by a motorized vehicle from place to place. The trailer further permits the user to store the trailered watercraft safely in a garage or on the individual's own property without incurring additional storage expense. However, presently existing trailers have a variety of limitations which detract from their above noted conveniences.
In the case of watercraft trailers, the trailer is typically backed down a ramp that extends into the water such that the boat or jet ski can then be floated off of the trailer for launching the watercraft and driving the watercraft part way onto the trailer for retrieving the watercraft. Typically, the launching or retrieving of a watercraft requires two people, one person in the watercraft to secure and control the watercraft when the watercraft is in the water and another person to operate a winch mechanism during the launching and retrieval of the watercraft to and from a trailer.
In the retrieval of a watercraft, this problem is exacerbated by the fact that the trailer is at a downward angle of 10 degrees or greater due to the ramp the trailer is on while the watercraft is level on the water thereby resulting in having the bow of the watercraft at an angle different from the bow cradle alignment guides and latching mechanism of the trailer. Consequently, a user typically attaches a winch strap, attached to a winch on the trailer, to a bow ring in order to pull the watercraft into alignment with the bow cradle alignment guides.
When there is a wind blowing or if there is turbulent water, aligning the watercraft to the trailer for retrieval becomes even more difficult as the watercraft tends to drift off of its original position for retrieval. In these situations, it is not unusual for the person operating the winch to have to wade into the water to assist in aligning the watercraft to the trailer and in connecting the winch line to the bow of the watercraft and further operating the winch to fully pull the watercraft into the proper position on the cradle bunks and onto the trailer.
Because of the need for the watercraft to be secured to the winch line for movement onto or off of a trailer, the watercraft operator must leave the cockpit of the watercraft to secure or release the winch line from the bow of the watercraft, thereby leaving the watercraft out of control for a period of time or necessitating a third person at the controls of the watercraft. Thus, the current means for the launching or retrieval of a watercraft, although greatly increasing the flexibility and pleasure offered to watercraft users, generally requires the cooperative efforts of two or more people to launch and/or retrieve the watercraft safely and securely.
Once on a trailer, a watercraft can then be secured with tie downs or the like to prevent movement and damage during transportation of the watercraft and trailer.